Bombas was founded after its co-founders learned socks are the #1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. They set out to make the most comfortable socks in the history of feet, by updating the commoditized everyday socks and started their One Purchased = One Donated mission. Bombas has since expanded to underwear and t-shirts (the #2 and #3 most requested items at shelters, respectively) to continue to meet the needs of both their customers and the homeless community. Since their founding, Bombas has remained rooted in their mission, setting an example of a successful give back model and donating over 75 million clothing items, with the help of their 3,500+ Giving Partners.
In September 2022, Bombas released its first-ever Impact Report, a deep-dive into its mission and give-back model, featuring a brand video that highlights several of the brand’s giving partners and community members. While Bombas has consistently used its platform to shed light on the complexity and sensitivity surrounding homelessness, it saw an opportunity to create an interactive advocacy tool that delivers corporate transparency, reframes how we think about our neighbors in need, and offers resources for those who want to get involved.
As consumers increasingly value the impact of brands they purchase from (the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer finds 58% of consumers buy or advocate for brands based on their values), there’s also growing skepticism around the validity and authenticity of brands’ social commitments. Simultaneously, US homelessness has increased, with 500,000+ people experiencing homelessness every night (the highest levels since the 1930’s) and the conversation around the issue has become more stigmatized.
For the release of the report, Bombas tapped creative agency Kingsland to create an inviting and playful digital space to talk about these serious issues while keeping participants smiling and engaged while they learned. To maximize reach and appeal, Bombas opted out of the typical PDF that often gets buried on corporate websites, and instead created an interactive website with custom illustrations, a strategic decision to engage as many people and perspectives as possible. The report highlights the following:
Donation Products: A deep-dive into how Bombas’s donation socks, underwear, and t-shirts are created and designed specifically to meet the needs of the homeless community.
Helping the Helpers: A spotlight on our nationwide network of 3500+ Giving Partners, who distribute our donation products to those who need them most.
Giving as a Team: How Bombas empowers the Hive — their team of more than 200 dedicated employees — to give back and support communities that are under-resourced and at higher risk of experiencing homelessness, beyond product donations.
How to Bee an Advocate: How the broader community of customers can get involved, give back, and navigate the complex conversation around race and homelessness in America.
The report is unique in that it highlights Bombas’s Giving Partners first; it illustrates how the brand’s work, expertise, and connectivity have enabled everyone involved to make an impact within the homeless community. Through it, Bombas hopes to continue educating consumers about homelessness, as well as thanking their community and Giving Partners for supporting more than 75 million donations. In tandem with the Impact Report, Bombas released its first-ever Impact Report Video that features several Giving Partners, across a variety of cities, and their experiences giving back in their communities.
The output of the Impact Report was a comprehensive, transparent look into the evolution of Bombas’s mission and Engine of Good that turns every purchase into a donation. The campaign (report and film) provides a deeper look into the lives of those experiencing homelessness and Giving Partners who’ve helped donate 75+ million items of essential clothing.
With the campaign and surrounding efforts, Bombas increased trust, transparency, engagement and awareness of its mission.
Bombas’ Impact Report and Mission Video have heightened visibility and engagement around its mission and impact to-date, thus sparking a conversation and encouraging others to give-back themselves.
To date, it’s generated 30.5K+ microsite views, 7.34mm+ YouTube views, and a +19% increase in Bombas purchase consideration.
The report and video garnered significant social interest including notable mentions from high profile individuals and celebrities including Zac Efron (58M followers), Zoe Saldana (9.5M followers), Daymond John (1.3M followers), Mitch Schwartz (127K followers), Joe Thomas (15K followers), as well as posts on the The Ellen Show (132M followers) and Eric Carle Official (67K followers) Instagram account’s stories. The combined following of those who reposted the report is around 200 million.
Additionally utilizing the creative assets and content from the Impact Report and Mission Video into Bombas’s site page focused on its mission, led to a 236% in page views and a 22% increase in time spent on those pages, showing that this content is driving further interaction and interest in the brand’s mission, impact and how it works.
